Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

The baby was due any day now, which meant Anakin was a barely containable ball of stress. He was holding office hours so he didn't drive his wife completely insane, but his planned activity for the day seemed to be staring at his comlink and waiting for it to go off.

Neurotic, party of one, probably needed a distraction.

Comments

[joan_notjane]

Joan practically had to drag Rachel to Professor Skywalker's office, but she was determined to get her new friend some additional resources for dealing with her empathy.

So now there were two teenage girls standing in Anakin's doorway and Joan was knocking.

[Joan-Raven-Anakin? Until Joan tactfully ducks out at least ;)]

[trigons_child]

Raven was still somewhat nervous about this, but she trusted Joan, and Joan trusted this teacher. So she steeled herself and waited for Anakin to acknowledge them.

[sith_happened]

Anakin glanced up at the two girls. "Hello," he said. "Can I help you with something?"

[joan_notjane]

Joan smiled. "Hi, Professor Skywalker. This is Rachel Roth, she's one of the new students and she was looking for a teacher she could talk to about some... possible issues that could come up. I suggested she talk to you."

[trigons_child]

"Hello, professor," Raven said shyly. "I hope we are not disturbing you."

[sith_happened]

"Not at all," he said, smiling. "Come in. Shut the door, if you'd prefer."

[joan_notjane]

Joan glanced between Rachel and Professor Skywalker. "Do you want me to leave?" she asked.

[trigons_child]

"If you have other things you must do, I understand," Raven said. "Otherwise I am content to have you remain."

[sith_happened]

Anakin glanced between the two girls. "What seems to be the problem?"

[joan_notjane]

Joan gave Rachel an encouraging smile, but opted to let her speak for herself.

[and she'll sit quietly and listen unless she's needed to ping again :D]

[trigons_child]

"I have been having some difficulties adjusting to being at the school," Raven said. "I had thought I would be able to deal with so many people being around me, but this past weekend made it clear that my shields are not as strong as I believed. I am an empath, and I must learn to better block out the emotions of others and to control my own." She wasn't quite ready to admit the half-demon part, not yet.

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "It's definitely a challenge at this school," he said, "especially when they are also telepaths who haven't been trained to be quiet. I remember having splitting headaches when I was a student, or feeling a bit like an emotional barometer for other people's issues. Would you like me to show you a few shielding exercises?"

[trigons_child]

"Yes, please," Raven said. "I came close to losing control this weekend, and I cannot let that happen again. I would greatly appreciate your lessons."

[sith_happened]

"The exercises won't fix things overnight," Anakin warned. "You'll need to practice them until they become instinctive, like breathing."

[trigons_child]

Raven nodded. "And I am willing to practice as much as it takes. I was trained to shield myself and control my emotions since I was old enough to understand, but Azarath is a small place, and the people here have such passionate feelings...."

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "Feeling out of control is never pleasant," he said, understating things on a slightly massive scale. He closed his eyes. "Very well. Are your shields as high as you normally keep them?"

He nudged at them with the Force, projecting curiosity. "And are there particular feelings that get through more easily than others?"